Our next event will be Practice Interviews, taking place in Spring 2024. Our most recent event 'Better Listening' took place in October 2023 to help celebrate International Stuttering Awareness Day. See information below.
In a world that doesn't listen, how can stuttering voices help us all to become better listeners?
Ahead of International Stuttering Awareness Day, 50 Million Voices is delighted to host this online event on 17 October focusing on stuttering, listening, and employment.
Join us and a panel of experts who will challenge the long-held negative assumptions about stuttering and explore it as a positive way of communicating.
Our panel will consider the theme from the perspective of the listener, rather than the speaker who stutters. Sub-themes will include how culture affects individual choices around listening, ableist expectations of fluency, the power of the stuttered word, the value of attentive listening and more...
When: Tuesday 17 October 12.30 - 2pm UK time (BST)
Where: Online on zoom
Registration closes midnight (UK time) on Sunday 15th October.
Programme
Panel presentations
The event begins with short talks from speakers hosted by senior BBC Journalist, Krupa Padhy.
Our panellists include:
- Dr Paul Brocklehurst, internationally recognised researcher and author on stuttering, language and communication.
- Dr Julie Humphreys, Group Head of Diversity & Inclusion at Reach plc and co-host of award-winning podcast 'D&I Spy'.
- Iain Wilkie, leading advocate for stuttering at work and Chair of 50 Million Voices.
Breakout discussions
This will be followed by smaller breakout sessions where you can reflect, share and listen. There is no obligation to talk and you can keep your camera off and shorten/remove your onscreen name if you wish to.
A plenary and Q&A hosted by Krupa Padhy will provide the plenty of opportunity to ask questions of the panel and round off the event.
More about the panellists
Krupa Padhy - Krupa is a senior BBC journalist with over 15 years live broadcasting experience. She can be heard across the BBC World Service presenting news programmes such as Newshour, as well as on Radio 4 hosting Woman's Hour and on occasion the BBC News Channel.
Her work has taken her around the world covering some of the biggest global stories of our time and in 2020 she was the winner of the prestigious ‘Asian Women of Achievement media award’.
Following her personal challenges with stammering, Krupa is more committed than ever to bringing authentic and diverse voices to the airwaves.
Dr Paul Brocklehurst - Paul is an Internationally recognised researcher and author on stuttering, language and communication.
Since receiving his PhD in 2013 exploring the potential relationships between stuttering and perfectionism, Paul has been running a free online educational resource for people who stammer called the “Stammering Self-Empowerment Programme”. Paul has also contributed to a number of online discussions organised by Dr Satyendra Srivasatava – founder of TISA (the Indian Stammering Association) - on the topic of how mindfulness can contribute towards living well with a stammer.
Paul’s published work also includes research on the hidden strengths of people who stammer.
Paul currently lives in the French Pyrenees, where he hosts mindfulness retreats and runs a guesthouse for long-distance walkers and pilgrims.
Dr Julie Humphreys - As the Group Head of Diversity & Inclusion at Reach plc, Julie leads the Inclusion agenda at the UK largest commercial and regional publisher with household names such as the Express, Mirror & OK magazine.
Julie is also the co-host of the award-winning weekly podcast ‘D&I Spy’, which brings diversity to life by having candid conversations on uncomfortable topics with business leaders, entertainers and sports people.
She holds a doctorate with expertise on the effect of children on women’s careers in the UK Financial Services sector and she is also a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel & Development (CIPD).
Iain Wilkie - Founder of 50 Million Voices, executive coach for quiet leaders and former EY partner.
Iain’s work with stuttering includes founding the EY Stammering network (2011), the UK’s Employers Stammering Network (2013), and 50 Million Voices (2019). From his 35-year career in business with a stutter, including 21 years as an equity partner in EY, Iain believes that it is only by bringing together people who stutter, allies and employers for mutual benefit, that we will transform the world of work for people who stutter.
Iain’s TEDx talk ‘The Gift of Stuttering’, recorded in 2022, includes a section on the value of listening to stuttering voices and has been watched by nearly 6,000 people.
We're truly excited about this event and believe it can be a catalyst for changing the conversation about stuttering in the workplace.
Booking your place
Registration is now open.
50 Million Voices relies on donations to provide you with this and future events. Please donate what you can to support our work and enable us to provide more development and networking opportunities for those of us who stammer and our allies.
Employers: to book places for your employees, information and suggested donations are available from Shilpa Sagwal info@50millionvoices.org.
Individuals: donations are welcomed from independent attendees at www.50millionvoices.org/donate.